Visions of Sorrow
by Lady Midday
Summary: When Morgana discovers her nightmares are actually visions, and she a sorceress, she quickly becomes obsessed with her gift. But meddling with destiny is never wise... And practicing magic right under the nose of King Uther? How long can that go right?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, thanks for clicking the link to this fanfiction!**

**I've recently started watching Merlin, and I'm completely hooked! What do I do with series I'm obsessed with? Write fanfiction about it of course!****This particular fanfiction is unbeta'd at the moment. If you're interested in beta-reading, message me please! (Edit: I already got one, but thanks anyway.)**

**Another important note is that this story discards everything that happens after the episode 'Lancelot'. That is when I started writing.**

**Anyhow,**

**Without further ado, have fun reading chapter one of the story!**

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~ Chapter one: Prelude ~

_The handle of the old iron bucket squeaked and groaned in protest every step she took._ _Normally the noise would annoy her, but here it was a relieve. A relieve to hear anything but the pressing silence._ _She was alone, walking on a sandy road in the forest she had known and lived in her entire life._

_But there was something off... Not a single forest animal could be heard._ _Even the wind no longer made the trees sway._

_She stopped moving._

_Water splashed against the side of the bucket, threatening to spill over by the unexpected motion. But she paid no mind to it. No, her brain was occupied by a sudden fear, overflowing her senses._ _Only now she noticed how goose bumps covered her skin, how the tiny hairs in neck were standing up._ _There was something there in the woods._

_Something that didn't belong._

_Something evil._

_She swallowed nervously, her eyes darting from the left to the right, desperate to find the cause of her strong anxiety. She didn't even notice her grip on the handle weakening, until it slipped away._ _The bucket hit the ground with a loud clatter, its content spreading quickly over the dry soil._ _This sound took her out of her daze, but it was too late._

_A hand roughly took hold of her shoulder, and something sharp and cold was pressed against her neck._

_'I've got you now,' a menacing voice hissed in her ear._

_--_

Morgana woke up gasping for breath. She was sweating like crazy, and her shapely body was completely tangled in the sheets. Her hands were covering her neck as if she really was being attacked. When the dark-haired woman realized she was lying safely in her bed staring up at the familiar ceiling of her bedchamber, she sighed in relieve and slowly lowered her hands.

Just a bad dream. A frighteningly realistic one, but a dream nonetheless.

She allowed her eyes to close again for a moment. Because of these bad dreams she always woke up feeling exhausted. It almost felt as if she hadn't slept at all. And this was already the third time in six days she had this particular nightmare. Needless to say, it was getting rather bothersome. Maybe Gwen knows something that can stop these unpleasant dreams she thought.

As if her maidservant had heard her thinking, footsteps approached Morgana's door, followed by a soft knocking.

'Morgana? Are you awake yet?' Gwen's clear voice asked through the door.

'Yes, come in!' Morgana called back, and she started untangling herself from the sheets as Gwen entered her bedchamber. The young woman only needed to take one look at her sweaty, pale face to know that there was something amiss.

'Is everything all right?' Gwen asked with genuine concern in her voice and eyes.

'Yes, just a bad dream.' Morgana answered, smiling reassuringly at her bosom friend, who was already busying herself with straightening out the previously tousled sheets.

'Was it the same one you had before?' Gwen asked, glancing at Morgana for a moment before resuming her tasks again.

Morgana just nodded in response, and took the dress Gwen had laid ready for her on the chair when she came in. It was a rather simple dark-blue dress with no jewelry or patterns on it, but Morgana was quite fond of it anyway. When she had changed from her nightgown into the dress, Gwen rushed over to help her close it on the backside.

'Well, I have some chores outside the castle today.. I could visit Gaius and ask him for an elixir to ease your mind. It might take the nightmares away.' Gwen offered a bit too eager once she was done closing the dress.

'Yes... and perhaps Merlin will be there as well later this afternoon.' Morgana teased Gwen with a wide grin, and she laughed openly when she saw Gwen's cheeks turn an interesting shade of red.

'I'm sorry Gwen, you're just too easy. An elixir would be nice, thank you. You're really thoughtful.' Morgana said thankfully after she had regained her composure. Gwen was such a wonderful friend. At times Morgana even forgot that Gwen was a 'mere' servant and she was her superior.

The dark-eyed girl only smiled sheepishly in return and nodded.

'Is there anything else I can do?' she then inquired politely.

'No, you can go now if you want.' Morgana answered, and she smiled vaguely at Gwen when said woman curtseyed and left. Her thoughts were on the dream though.

It had seemed so realistic, more so than other dreams, which tended to be a bit vague. But it couldn't be real. She did not recognize the environment in the dream at all, yet it had felt as if she'd known the place her entire life.

Morgana let out another sigh as she grasped her comb and started to brush her long, wavy hair.

------------------------

Even though it was quite early, the streets of Camelot were already crammed with people. Some of them moved in a quick pace, rushing to get their work done on time. Others merely sauntered at ease, taking in the surroundings as if they were in Camelot for the first time. Gwen zigzagged her way through the crowd, occasionally apologizing when she accidently bumped into one of the village people. If she was completely honest, she wasn't even paying that much attention to where she was going. She was only scanning the crowd to catch a glimpse of a single guy's face: Merlin.

Gwen knew he was probably already at the castle, doing chores for Arthur, or perhaps even helping him practice sword-fighting outside the castle in the training area. That fact didn't stop her from looking for him everywhere though. Gwen was actually kind of surprised and disappointed to not having seen him on her way from the castle to the streets. Him saying her name, and wishing her a good morning with a sparkle in those astounding blue eyes was enough to make her entire day right..

'Good morning Gwen!'

Yes, just like that she thought dreamily.

Wait.

It took Gwen three full seconds to realize this wasn't her imagination. The real Merlin was actually standing in front of her, a mischievous grin on his face. Despite the fact that he couldn't read her mind, she still felt a bit flustered he caught her while she was thinking about him. But then again, was there ever a time she wasn't thinking about him?

'Aren't you supposed to be at the castle by now?' she blurted out rather bluntly in her unease and surprise. Gwen inwardly cringed at her own rudeness. Why did she always have to say exactly what she thought? It got her in trouble more than once, yet she couldn't help it.

Merlin simply laughed goodheartedly at her, as he always did when Gwen blurted out something rude or weird. Gwen felt her heart flutter at the sound of his laughter, and she just hoped he didn't notice the blush now quite evident on her cheeks.

'Good morning to you too Merlin,' he said playfully. Then he glanced at the road that lead to the castle for a moment.

'But you're right, I should hurry, see you later!'

With those words he dashed off, without giving Gwen a chance to say anything back. She watched his back as he ran, until he disappeared around the corner of the street. Gwen couldn't help but smile to herself. She treasured these small moments between them, even though he didn't like her the way she liked him. Suddenly Gwen felt someone's stare on her from across the street. Gwen turned her head, and let her eyes meet the ones that were fixed on her. The moment she did, she felt a shock going through her entire body.

The stranger was a pale, sickly looking woman. Her head was covered by a hood, yet some locks of her greasy red hair were visible. Anyone who would see her, would pass her off as a normal commoner without a second glance. Gwen would have too, if it weren't for those eyes. The raw primal emotions manifested in that woman's gaze shook her to her very core.

Hate. Detest. Spite.

Gwen desperately wanted to get away, but the pure loathing in the fierce, green eyes of the woman left her literally paralyzed in fear. She could feel her heart beating like a drum in her chest and throat. Small drops of sweat began to slither down on the side of her face.

The red-haired stranger's glare lingered, until a tall man carrying a heavy load of timber passed on the pathway in between the two, abruptly ending the crippling spell by breaking the eye contact.

When Gwen dared to look up again, all that was left on the spot the stranger had been standing was thin air.

--

**So that's it for the first chapter.****I hoped you enjoyed reading it :) Let me know!**

**In the next chapter Morgana finds out a bit more about her dreams, and Gwen is shocked to find the scary stranger talking with Merlin!****Will Gwen manage to keep her cool, or will she make a fool of herself in front of her crush again? (Of course she'll make a fool out of herself, I love torturing characters I like) *cough***


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, and thanks for clicking the link to chapter two of Visions of Sorrow! I do hope you'll enjoy your stay ^^**

**This is part one out of two. I decided to split the parts up, because else the chapter would be a bit too long for my idea. (so, this and the part after this are one chapter.)****Also, I only base this story loosely on mythology and legends, so the creatures I use may not appear in Welsh or even Celtic mythology.**

**This story is now beta'd by ****Lady Isis!**** Thank you!**

**That's all, let's continue on to the story!**

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~Chapter two: Northern wind part one ~

Two weeks had passed since that one day on the street. The atmosphere became gloomier, and the days shorter as winter began to take hold of Camelot. Lakes had already begun to freeze, and yesterday the first snowflakes had twirled down from above.

It was still dark when Gwen kissed her father goodbye, and exited her house to head to work. She shivered as she walked. The chilly wind almost seemed to penetrate straight through her clothing. Winter really had come unusually quickly this year she thought, and she crossed her arms in front of her for a bit of protection against the cold. At least it would be a bit warmer inside the castle, where she would be spending the rest of her day. And a long day it would be. Today Lord Thomasyn of Noribur would visit with all his children, and naturally this meant that there would be a huge feast that night. King Uther had ordered all the servants in the entire castle to make sure that Camelot was ready to receive and entertain these important noblemen. Gwen of course, was no exception. She would have to stay and serve until the end of the great celebration, and afterwards she'd have to help clean up the mess. Oh, the joyful life of a servant.

When Gwen arrived at the castle, it was still rather quiet. She always needed to be extra early because she was Morgana's maidservant too next to her other duties. Gwen didn't mind taking care of Morgana though. They'd been best friends for as long as she could remember, and Morgana had always been really kind to her. Though lately she seemed to be really troubled and moody. None of the elixirs nor draughts Gaius had made for her had taken away her nightmares. Morgana never was the type to complain, but Gwen could see how her face paled with every passing day, and the dark circles below her eyes were almost permanently visible. Gwen just hoped that the new draught she had brought her last evening had worked.

She quickly ascended the stairs, and stopped in front of Morgana's room.

'Morgana, it's time to wake up now!' she called.

No answer.

Gwen waited patiently for a few seconds, and then knocked on the door.

'Morgana?'

Still no answer.

Gwen frowned, and then spoke up again. 'Ready or not, I'm coming in!' She opened the door.

A cold breeze immediately blew into her face. The window was wide open, and the bed was empty and completely neat and tidy. It looked as if nobody had slept in the room that night, Gwen noted with a worried frown. But how could that be? She had seen Morgana go to bed herself yesterday evening. She closed the door again silently.

Where could she have run off to?

---

'We _have_ to cancel the festivities tonight!' Morgana exclaimed.

King Uther raised an eyebrow at his ward, and stood up next to her.

'And why would I do such a thing?' Uther asked with a drawling voice.

'Because-' Morgana paused for a moment. She could not tell Uther about her dream, he wouldn't understand. She simply could not.

'I- it's really a bad day for a feast today, don't you think? Let's postpone it until the weather is better!' she then finished weakly.

Even Morgana could hear how bad her argument was, but she could not think of anything else, the lack of sleep was clouding her mind. The throbbing headache she had been having for weeks now did not help either.

'We can't simply postpone it, Morgana. Lord Thomasyn is already on his way here,' Uther explained, clearly puzzled by this last minute complaint.

Morgana stared blankly at her adoptive father for a moment, and then turned on her heels and left. She did not respond to Uther calling after her, demanding an explanation. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest when she thought of the images she had seen that night. If this dream was true…if it did really happen… Morgana swallowed, and made up her mind. She would go to Gaius. He would know what to do.

'Wait a moment.'

A warm, firm hand took her arm and stopped her in her tracks. Morgana looked up at the owner of the hand slowly.

'What is it Arthur?' she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She really did not feel like dealing with his witty remarks and pestering right now.

'What was that all about, why do you want the festival cancelled?' Arthur asked, uncharacteristically serious.

Morgana was thrown off by this for a second, but quickly recovered. 'I just figured it would be better to do it later,' she answered, determined to stick to her earlier story.

Arthur stared at her, clearly not believing a word she just said.

'Are you feeling alright?' he asked. 'You look terrible.'

'I feel wonderful. Now if you'd excuse me,' Morgana said coolly, prying his arm off of her and leaving the young prince completely puzzled about why the strong-spirited woman just let an insult go like that.

---

Gaius was just about done with creating a new sleeping draught when Morgana came barging into the room.

'Ah, Morgana, you have wonderful timing! I'm just about finished making a new draught to help you sleep,' Gaius said, shifting his attention from his work to her.

'I'm not here for the draught,' Morgana replied quickly. Her eyes were wide open, and she was fidgeting nervously Gaius observed.

'Sit down for a minute, Morgana,' Gaius said soothingly after a short silence, and he took her by her arm and guided her to a comfortable chair. Sitting down next to her, he offered her some tea. Morgana took the cup with shaking hands, and took a small zip. Gaius noticed her trembling, but said nothing of it. These were only symptoms of her lack of sleep, but judging by the expression on her face and her restlessness there was something else bothering the young woman.

'Now, tell me what is wrong,' he inquired calmly, his hand reassuringly resting on Morgana's back.

Morgana looked up at Gaius, and much to his surprise, there were tears in her eyes

'I- I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't know who else to tell…' she spoke with an unsteady voice.

'You can tell me anything, go on,' Gaius encouraged her.

Morgana swallowed and nodded. 'I- I had a dream again. I was at the party that is going to take place tonight.'

'The gathering in honour of Lord Thomasyn of Noribur?' Gaius questioned with slight surprise.

'Yes, but we can't allow the feast to take place,' Morgana cried out, her eyes wide open in shock. 'Something terrible is going to happen, I saw it!'

'What do you mean you saw it?' Gaius asked, outwardly calm, but his mind already racing. He knew about Morgana's talent, but never spoke to her about it. It would be better for her if she remained unaware for as long as possible.

'In my dream, a terrible beast appeared. It- it-' Morgana did not finish her story, for she finally could not fight her despair and tiredness anymore, and broke down in tears.

'Easy now, my child,' Gaius said as he pulled her into a comforting hug. 'A nightmare isn't something you have to cry over, I'll promise I'll give you a stronger medicine to take the bad dreams away.'

'T-thank you Gaius.' Morgana sobbed, while holding on to him as if her life depended on it.

They remained in this position until Morgana's tears dried up, and she had calmed down enough. Gaius let go of her slowly and looked her in the eyes.

'I just need to ask you one important question Morgana: The creature in your dream, what did it look like?'

Morgana was too tired and troubled to even wonder why this question was so important to Gaius, and simply answered. She began to describe the vile beast with as much detail as she could remember, which was quite a lot because the dream had been really clear. Gaius paid close attention, making sure he remembered all of it so that he could look the beast up, and find a counter spell. When she was done talking, he stood up.

'I think it's best if you rest a bit now, you can't go to the feast if you're already falling asleep before it even starts can you?' Gaius said with a kind smile.

'I should probably find Gwen first, she must be worried,' Morgana answered, feeling a bit guilty for leaving without even telling her best friend where she was going. Gaius nodded and walked to the door to open it for Morgana. She followed him and walked through the door. There, she turned around for one last time.

'Thank you, for everything,' she said with a small smile.

'Not at all,' Gaius responded politely, and he closed the door behind him once Morgana was gone.

Inside the chamber Gaius didn't waste another moment. He had to find that counter curse, or else the creature would destroy the castle that evening, just as Morgana predicted. The forbidden book filled with magic spells lied innocently in Merlin's room underneath his bed. Gaius took it and brought it with him to the study room. He began to scan through the pages as quickly as he could. The creature Morgana had described was without any doubt some type of golem, a creature created by magic.

'The way to defeat a golem is…' he muttered out loud, and stopped when he found the right spell.

Merlin came walking in just a second later, the armour of Prince Arthur clattering loudly in his hands.

'Hello Gaius,' he greeted his learning master quite cheerfully.

Gaius did not greet him back, but instead walked over to his pupil with the spell book still in his hands.

'Merlin, Camelot needs your help again.'

-----

**Hm, not one of my best chapters me thinks. I might decide to edit it later.**

**Next chapter is the feast; and the introduction of the pale woman I've been talking about the last chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, and welcome to part two of the chapter Northern Wind! This story is beta'ed by the wonderful and quick ****Lady Isis!**** Do check out her Merlin one-shot, it's a great read!**

**Just like last time: I do hope you'll enjoy your stay!**

**There are no additional notes for this chapter, I've already said everything in the last author's note.****Oh, wait one thing: I do not know Welsh, and thus used a translator for the spell. (If you do know Welsh, please don't laugh :P)**

**So... onwards to the story!**

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_~ Chapter Two: Northern Wind part two~_

'You want me to _what_?' Merlin exclaimed disbelievingly.

'There is no other option, Merlin, you will have to stop the golem during the feast tonight,' Gaius said calmly, pressing the spell book in Merlin's hands.

'I've already looked up the spell for you. Do not say the words until it is time, or this spell could prove to be very dangerous,' he then added with a dead-serious face.

Merlin looked down at the spell book with a blank expression, reading the spell Gaius had looked up for him. _"Yn ogleddol am-dro." _A conjuring spell, very powerful, and said to be one of the last spells left capable of stopping a full grown golem.

'I can't do this. Not in front of everyone, they'll catch me for sure,' Merlin stated, looking up from the book again.

'You have to, Merlin. The fate of Camelot rests in your hands. You are destined to protect Prince Arthur, and this is just one more test.'

'But Uther will be there, everyone will be there. I'll be decapitated for using magic. How can I protect Arthur and Camelot if I'm dead?' Merlin protested.

'You won't fail or be discovered. You _can_ do this, I believe you can.'

Merlin was silent, lost in thought for a moment. He had absolutely no idea how to pull this one off. One disastrous scenario after another went through his head. Failing was not an option. Getting caught wasn't an option. Doing nothing wasn't an option either. There were just too many things that could go wrong.

Merlin and Gaius turned around when they heard someone approach the door. A second later Gwen came walking in. She stopped in front of them, and looked from Merlin to Gaius, and back.

'Am I interrupting something?' she asked, noticing the grave expressions on both Merlin's and Gaius' face.

Gaius was the first one who recovered himself. 'Not at all, Gwen. Is there something we can help you with?'

'Eh, yes. Merlin, I was missing you at the castle- ah! I mean, you have to help for tonight! All servants have to be there!' Gwen spoke the last words very quickly, a light blush on her cheeks.

Merlin smiled half-heartedly at her. 'I'll be there, I just need to finish one thing and I'll be on my way.'

'Shall I wait for you here?' she offered with a warm smile.

'No, just go ahead, I'll catch up with you.'

He knew it was odd and out of character not to walk with Gwen, but he couldn't memorize the spell with her in the same room. Gwen shot him a worried look, but made no comments about this weird behaviour, for which Merlin was very grateful. She was a kind woman, and a great friend, but he could not share matters of magic with her. He couldn't share it with anyone he thought a bit bitterly.

'Then I'll see you in a few minutes,' Gwen said with a small smile.

'Yeah, see you there,' he replied absentmindedly.

---------------------------

Evening soon fell over Camelot. The temperature dropped way below zero, but that did not stop the laughter and joy inside the castle. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even the servants who had been working all afternoon were quite cheerful. Some of them even cheered the drunk noblemen and knights on, when they started a flamboyant dance on a particular upbeat tune played by the minstrels. Gwen grinned at this, and glanced over to the drunk noblemen's dance every now and then while she carried a tray with fruit in it to the table. When Gwen had a free moment at last, she looked around the room, at all the different people in them.

Lord Thomasyn and his three sons were merrily chatting with King Uther and Prince Arthur. Morgana was sitting with them mostly quiet, but laughing at the appropriate moments. However, her eyes kept glancing around the room nervously. Gwen honestly did not know what was wrong with her. When she had asked earlier that afternoon, Morgana refused to say anything other than that she had a nightmare again. Gwen sighed and made a mental note to ask Morgana what was wrong again tomorrow morning.

Then she let her eyes wander again, to one bright eyed servant in particular.

Merlin, who was standing next to Gaius, also did not look like he was enjoying himself. He was smiling, but Gwen could see from all the way over here that his demeanour was way too composed to be natural. Gwen could not go over to Morgana right now, but she could go and keep Merlin company, maybe even cheer him up a little. She however, wasn't the only one to choose that moment to go to Merlin. Another woman approached the young warlock, and started a conversation with him and Gaius. At first Gwen did not recognize her, but when she came closer her eyes opened wide in shock, and she instantly froze.

Red hair, worn out clothing. It was _her. _The woman from the street!

Gwen wanted to turn around and run, but Gaius had already seen her walking towards them, and called out to her: 'Gwen, where are you going? Come join us!'

Because Gaius called her, the attention of both Merlin and the redhead were shifted to her. Gwen flinched visibly when the woman turned around to look at her, and quickly averted her eyes to the ground.

'Gwen, what are you doing?' Merlin's asked with slight concern.

'N-nothing, I was just checking if the floor was clean,' Gwen brought out stuttering, and she looked up, still avoiding the woman's eyes like the plague.

'Oh have you met Nissa yet? She's a new servant here in the castle,' Gaius said.

'It's nice to meet you, Gwen,' Nissa said, and she extended her hand for a handshake.

Gwen looked at her outstretched hand, but did not take it. How could Merlin and Gaius not have noticed her murderous intent? How could they simply introduce this _monster_ to her? But now that she thought of it, she did not feel eyes burn on her like last time. Gwen carefully looked at Nissa's face. There was no hate in her green eyes, only kindness and a hint of curiosity. She looked a lot healthier than last time too. Her hair was no longer greasy, and her face no longer had that unhealthy sallow colour. Gwen however still did not take her hand, for she suddenly felt a wave of hate wash over her. A hate that wasn't her own.

'I believe we have already met,' Gwen said coolly.

'We have?' Nissa asked, acting completely dumbfounded.

'Don't play dumb with me, I saw you on the street two weeks ago,' Gwen snapped at her, her eyes blazing.

'Gwen, what is the matter with you?' Merlin asked, clearly shocked. He had never seen her act this way against anyone before.

'I-I think it's best if I leave now, sorry,' Nissa said nervously, her eyes downcast.

She turned her back on them, and quickly left, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. The moment Nissa was gone, Gwen the hate she had felt dissolved immediately, leaving her to wonder what on earth happened. Gaius and Merlin were both staring at her, obviously wondering the same.

'What were you- ' Gaius started with a frown, but was cut off when the ground suddenly started shaking.

Glasses jingled, some breaking in the process. The minstrels stopped playing, and conversations changed into murmurs filled with anxiety.

Merlin and Gaius exchanged a dark look. Merlin nodded and moved away from the crowd, stopping in a dark corner, out of the sight of the now slightly panicked crowd. Gwen didn't even notice Merlin leaving, because she was concentrating on staying on her two feet as the tremor intensified. Screams of panic were heard, and some people actually crawled underneath the table in fear.

The quake stopped as soon as it came.

King Uther rose from his chair, most probably to tell the people to stay calm, but right at that moment a loud screech filled the midnight air. Without a further warning, the wall on the left of the castle was blasted aside with a loud crash. Huge stones were hurled into the crowd, and the clouds of dust rendered the people of Camelot blind and helpless to whatever it was that was attacking them.

Gwen started coughing uncontrollably when she breathed in the dust, but Gaius was soon at her side, and pressed a piece of cloth in her hands to cover her nose and mouth with.

'What's happening, Gaius?!'

'I don't know, but we must get out of here now!' Gaius said urgently.

Everybody was already dashing for the exit, resulting in a lot of pushing, and a completely unreachable door out, but Gaius knew another way out.

'But Merlin and Morgana!' Gwen protested in between some coughs. She refused to leave without knowing if her best friends were safe too.

'I'll look for Merlin, you look for Morgana!' Gaius shouted above the noise, knowing that Gwen wouldn't listen to him if he'd tell her to leave.

-

Morgana was watching the scene unfold in horror. It was exactly like she had dreamt it would be, and she allowed it to happen. Soon, the dust cloud would disappear and the beast would become visible. It would take the life of everyone, not a single soul in the entire castle would be spared. There was no point in running, it was over. And it was all her fault. If she had tried just a bit harder to stop Uther. If she had realized sooner that it was no ordinary dream. Morgana closed her eyes, and started weeping softly.

_'Yn ogleddol am-dro,' _a calm male voice whispered in her ears, cutting straight through the noise of the panicked masses.

Morgana's eyes snapped open, and she turned, looking for the source of the voice. There was nobody close to her, everyone was fleeing, panicked and screaming. The dust had almost cleared. She could already make out the silhouette of the enormous beast, and the brave knights fighting it fervently. Arthur and King Uther were among them, striking fiercely, but not able to make as much as a scratch on its rough skin. Of course they could not. A beast created with magic could not be defeated with steel.

_'Yn ogleddol am-dro!' _the voice sounded again, this time clearer and louder, almost sounding demanding.

Morgana's eyes widened in shock when she realized it wasn't a voice from someone around her. The voice was in her head. She did not know what the words meant, but it almost sounded like an incantation. A spell.

'Yn ogleddol am-dro,' she uttered softly.

Despite the fact she uttered the words barely above a whisper, her voice echoed through the space, becoming louder and louder as it went on. The windows cracked. A strong, icy wind gusted through the building, blowing away the last remains of the dust, a clap of thunder echoed through the building. Morgana could see the beast clearly now with the flashes of light from outside. It looked humanoid, but was about three times bigger and made out of some sort of rock. Its eyes shone dangerously as it lifted its fist to strike the defenseless knights.

The cold wind suddenly intensified, and focused completely on the golem, slashing and tearing. The beast screeched as its limbs were torn apart, and in a matter of seconds there was nothing left of it but a pile of frozen stones.

All eyes were staring at the remains of what had destroyed one of the great walls of the castle just minutes ago. All eyes, except those of Gaius. He was looking at his pupil, Merlin, who looked very startled about what just happened. Not euphoric, not relieved, just thoroughly shocked.

Gaius placed his hand on the young warlock's shoulder. 'You did well,' he spoke softly to Merlin. 'I'm proud of you.'

Merlin tore his eyes away from the destroyed golem, and turned his head to face Gaius.

'It.. it wasn't me.'

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**Nope, the credit goes to Morgana this time ^^**

**Btw, is it very noticeable I don't handle action scenes that well? xD Well, I did my best I can say.**

**Next chapter is where things really start to get interesting... It appears there is more to this conjuring spell than just a golem-killer. ^^****Also, King Uther is going mad again with finding the source of the magic as always XD, and Merlin and Gaius speculate who could have done this.**

**But that aside, do tell me what you think of this chapter! Reviews and alerts always make me very happy =]**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter.. 3 already! Yes, my lucky number!**

**Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had some real-life issues, and I'm having nightmares as well which disrupt my very much needed and valued sleep XD****Well, at least mine don't come true :P**

**Like I said last chapter, this is where things really get interesting and... twisted for Morgana.**

**As always, a thank you to my Beta-reader Lady Isis =]**

**Enjoy reading!**

**---**

_~The Aftereffect~_

'You're absolutely certain it was not you?' Gaius asked Merlin, his eyebrows furrowing as if he was thinking very deeply.

Merlin nodded weakly in response. 'It wasn't me. The spell didn't work when I said it.'

'Then, my boy, we might be in big trouble,' Gaius said gravely. 'Come, we must get out of here quickly,' he then added, when he saw King Uther was also regaining his senses. Knowing Uther, he would probably seal off the entire castle and have search parties looking for the sorcerer behind this attack within no time.

'Right!' Merlin said, and he quickly followed Gaius to the backdoor.

Gaius and Merlin walked the entire way in silence, but as soon as they had entered Gaius' quarters, Merlin asked the question that had been on both their minds ever since they first found out about the attack on the castle that afternoon.

'Do you think Nimueh is behind this?'

Gaius narrowed his eyes when he thought of the woman who had almost caused Camelot's downfall multiple times. 'There is a good possibility that is the case,' he eventually answered. 'But what concerns me more is that there must be another powerful wizard around.'

'You mean the one that used that counter spell instead of me?' Merlin asked after thinking for a moment. 'But that person helped us, shouldn't that mean he is on our side?'

'For now, but imagine what would happen if he decided to turn against us. It would not be the first wizard to turn to black magic after watching his comrades die by Uther's hand,' Gaius responded, a hint of worry in his voice. There was always the possibility Nimueh would try to put that wizard up against them, and if that were to happen it might be too much for Merlin to handle. No, they would have to find the unknown wizard first, but Gaius had absolutely no idea who it could be. And it wouldn't be very likely that the sorcerer would simply reveal himself to them, with the severe punishments for using magic in Camelot.

'Well, let's hope that that doesn't happen then,' Merlin said, allowing himself to drop onto the comfortable chair with a sigh. He found one evil sorceress enough to deal with for now.

'Indeed.' Gaius agreed with Merlin, but he could simply not just relax in the chair like his pupil. They needed to find this sorcerer fast.

---

Meanwhile, that sorceress was lying wide awake in her bedchamber in the castle. Morgana had felt it clearly now. She had used magic. Her dreams had never been ordinary dreams. She was a sorceress. Morgana gulped at the mere thought of what her adoptive father would say of it. That it was his own ward who had used magic in his kingdom, and had been "using" it ever since she was a small child. Would he have her beheaded just like all the others, or would he spare her if he knew, Morgana wondered. Well, better not take that risk. King Uther hated magic so much, that if he would decide to spare her life, she would at least be banished from the kingdom.

Morgana sighed and sat up straight in her bed. For some odd reason she did not feel tired anymore. Ever since she had said those odd foreign words and whipped up that icy storm, she had felt awake and strangely clear minded. Speaking of that storm, it still hadn't subdued. If anything, it seemed to have intensified. Morgana threw the blankets off of her, and shivered slightly when she placed her bare feet on the cold floor. She walked over to the window and looked outside. The streets were quite empty, and the only ones still outside were the guards who Uther had ordered to search for the sorcerer. If only he knew.

Morgana was staring outside absentmindedly, her face leaning on her arms when suddenly a big black crow landed right in front of her, on the other side of the glass. Its dark eyes were fixated on her, as it leaned forward and tapped on her window gently, almost as if asking her to open her window for it. She stared at the bird slightly confused. Since when weren't crows afraid of people anymore? Morgana waved her arms at the bird to startle it. The black crow only followed the movement of her arms with slight interest. Eventually it stretched out its wings, and took flight again.

Morgana still thought of it as a bit odd, but then shrugged. She had experienced odder things today: for example, finding out you're a sorceress, and stopping a huge beast with merely an incantation. That words could have such a big impact was incredible, Morgana thought. What were those words again...? _Yn ogleddor ander? No, that's not it_. Morgana thought back to a few hours before, the soft whisper in her ear, and suddenly she remembered again.

'Yn ogleddol am-dro, that was it!' she said out loud to herself.

The door opened violently, nearly being blown out of its sockets. Morgana's head snapped around. She instantly backed away from the window, to a darker corner of her room, so she wouldn't be visible for anyone who'd enter the chamber. She grabbed the glass bottle which contained her draught, to whack the invader on the head, just in case.

'Who's there?' she called out braver than she felt.

'You should know,' a smooth male voice responded, and soon after that the person the voice belonged to stepped into her room slowly.

He wasn't that well visible because it was dark in the room, but Morgana could hear and now see, that this was certainly not someone she knew. There was a short silence, and then Morgana started screaming at the top of her voice. The man grunted and covered his ears with his hands. 'Stop screaming will you?' he exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

When Morgana did not stop, he sighed and took a step forward. 'Gostega,' he muttered, his eyes lighting up in the dark for a second, and promptly Morgana lost her voice.

Morgana's eyes shot open in shock, and she reached for her throat with her hands. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as the man began to approach her. She tried to scream again, but no sounds came over her lips. Morgana could feel there was something blocking her vocals, was that man doing this? It had to be a sorcerer! Perhaps even the one who had sent that beast! She stumbled backwards until her back was against the wall. However, the man stopped moving when he was standing about seven feet away from her.

'If I release the silencing spell, will you promise not to scream?' he suddenly asked quite kindly. Morgana gulped, and then nodded her head for she still couldn't speak.

'Good, I'll release it then.' The man raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Morgana yelped as she felt the weird pressure on her throat disappear, but she regained her composure quickly and stood up straight. She'd just have to hold out until the guards where there. Someone must have heard her screaming before!

'What are you doing here, who are you?' she croaked, her voice still not completely recovered from that silencing.

'What I am doing here?' the man repeated, sounding offended 'You certainly got some nerve asking me that, Lady Morgana.'

'The guards will be here any moment, whatever it is, you won't get away with this!' Morgana ranted, completely ignoring the previous answer he gave her.

'Oh,' the man spoke, clearly not intimidated or bothered by her threats.

'King Uther wll have you beheaded for this,' Morgana continued, but the man still didn't respond. In fact, he completely turned his back on her, and walked towards the big table at the other side of the room.

'It's a bit dark here, don't you think? Let's lighten this place up a bit,' he said suddenly said, as if he was talking to an old friend. Morgana's mouth nearly dropped open. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

He lit the candle with the tip of his finger, and then spun around to face Morgana again. Now that he was better visible, Morgana took the time to study his features. He had an angular face, and long dark hair, which looked quite clean and neat compared to the knights of Camelot. He looked completely at ease, and didn't seem to have any bad intentions towards her. Morgana relaxed a bit, and finally stepped away from the wall she had pressed herself against. But he still hadn't explained why he was here or who he was.

'Seriously, why are you doing here?' she tried one last time.

The man frowned, before finally giving her an answer: 'I really should be asking you that question, Lady Morgana.'

'What?' Morgana asked, dumbfounded.

'Yn ogleddol am-dro. You used the spell. You summoned me, though your pronunciation could use some work,' the man said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Morgana stared at him, her eyes like saucers. She had brought him here? Well, at least that meant he wasn't evil. If he was telling the truth that is. When Morgana failed to give any response, the stranger spoke up again.

'That's quite rude you know, first not opening the window when I knock, then summoning me and asking what I'm doing here not once, but three times!'

'I'm...sorry?' Morgana brought out hesitantly, but the man still wasn't finished yet: 'And Camelot out of all places? You certainly got guts, but I would like a warning next time before you put me up against fully grown golems.'

'Wait a moment, I didn't do that on purpose,' Morgana finally protested.

Before the man could answer her again, the sound of armor clattering and footsteps nearing quickly on the stairway disrupted their conversation. Morgana shot a worried glance at the door and then turned back to the man, who was still looking at her, completely careless.

'We'll have to do this conversation later, you have to hide!' Morgana said, slightly panicked.

'Sure, sure. I'll go now,' he replied and he strolled over to the window, and opened it. Before he went out, he turned around one last time. 'I'll be at the marketplace tomorrow at noon, if you're interested in knowing more.'

Then, the man jumped out of the window gracefully, disappearing out of sight.

Needless to say, Morgana had a difficult time sleeping again that night, after she had dismissed the guards with an 'It was just a nightmare'.

----

**Liked it, hated it? Was it confusing? Let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here it is then! Chapter 5 of Visions of sorrow!****It took a while, but I finally updated! I do hope everyone who reviewed or alerted it still remembers. =/**

**I have made some major changes to the plot, so things I might have said a few chapters ago may or may not apply anymore, just so you know.****Nimueh in this chapter is different from the series Nimueh, but I sort of had to change her a bit for this story to work, sorry.**

**My Beta is still ****Lady Isis.**** Thanks again XD**

**--------**

_Chapter 4: Assembly_

'There is something that you're not telling me!'

'There is nothing wrong, Gwen, I can assure you.'

Morgana had been about to leave to find the mystery man when Gwen came walking into her room. Normally she would have been glad to spend some more time with her childhood friend, but now she really couldn't use her company. And of course this just had to be this day Gwen didn't have any other work to attend to. Naturally, Gwen wouldn't just let her trying to leave the castle slide after all the other incidents, and had started to ask her questions.

Gwen had her arms crossed in front of her upper body, frowned and then opened her mouth again: 'You're lying again, Morgana, I can see it. Besides, you can't leave the castle now, King Uther has sealed all the entrances until the sorcerer is found!'

Morgana bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze. She hated having to lie to Gwen. Morgana had already considered telling Gwen about her magic capabilities...but could she risk it? Gwen was her best friend, but ever since her father got accused of using magic, the blacksmith's daughter had been a bit squeamish about having anything to do with it. In any case, she couldn't tell Gwen now, she would be late for her appointment at the marketplace Morgana figured.

'I just need to go now, we'll talk later,' Morgana simply said. Then she turned on her heels, her long cape flowing behind her as she strode to the door. Morgana heard Gwen sigh behind her, but at least she didn't say anything else. The young sorceress didn't know how much longer she could bare the feeling of guilt for keeping such a massive and dangerous secret from her best friend. She straightened out her long robes before stepping into the hallway. Now it was time for the difficult part; actually slipping past the guards in order to get to her destination.

Morgana let out a deep sigh as she stopped right before the corner leading to one of the back exits. If the man had told her to meet him in the middle of the night it would have been a lot easier, but no, it just had to be at broad daylight, she thought with a scowl. Luckily, Morgana had lived in the castle for many years, and knew all the routines and happenings in the castle. The back of the castle, the servant entrances, wouldn't be that heavily guarded, even with this sorcerer stalking the streets of Camelot. In fact, it might even be less guarded because pretty much every available man had been summoned to look out for this magic user.

Morgana pressed her back against the wall, and carefully peeked around the corner. There were two men standing at each side of the door, directly facing her. She suppressed a squeak and immediately disappeared around the corner again. Had they seen her? Morgana wasn't able to tell because of their helmets. Morgana took a deep breath. No, they didn't see her, otherwise they would have called out to her. Morgana took another deep breath to calm herself, and started to move away. She would just have to find another door and…

'What do you think you're doing? Sneaking around here while there's a dangerous sorcerer on the loose?' a gruff male voice called from behind.

Morgana yelped when the man grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back. She inwardly cursed for being so careless.

'Or maybe it is the sorcerer,' another voice sounded from her left, as her other arm was grasped.

The first man chuckled, 'We would get a nice reward out of this if that is so.'

'Well, show us your face, sorcerer,' the other guard spoke eagerly, as he pulled away the cover hiding her features.

Both guards gasped in shock once they saw her face, and immediately let go of her. Morgana carefully rubbed the place where they'd held her with their iron grasp. That was going to bruise for sure.

'L-lady Morgana!'

'Please forgive us, we did not know it was you.'

Both of them cowered and lowered their heads when Morgana glared at them. She couldn't help but grin about the power she now held over them, while she had been the one in trouble just minutes ago.

'I suppose I could let this slide...' Morgana started with a voice smooth as silk. She had them exactly where she wanted.

'T-thank you! It will never happen again, I-' the gruff guard started, relief in his eyes, but Morgana cut him off.

'Under one condition.'

'What is it then Lady Morgana, we'll do anything, just don't tell king Uther,' the other guard piped up. He shivered, probably imagining the punishment they would receive for attacking a member of the royal family.

'I'm going to go out now, and you're not going to tell a soul,' Morgana stated with a completely serious face.

'What? But that's directly against our orders!' both guards protested.

'Oh, I guess you're right. But I don't think king Uther would like these bruises you gave me… I wonder who he'll believe. His own ward, or two lowly castle guards,' Morgana said, while acting as if she was in deep thought. She knew that she was completely bluffing. King Uther always went a bit crazy in the head when there was magic involved, and if there was only the slightest chance that she was involved... Morgana knew that it was only because of a promise to her father that Uther had adopted her, not because he loved her so dearly.

The bluffing appeared to work though. Both guards gulped and exchanged a look with each other.

'V-very well then, just don't tell King Uther.'

Morgana wanted to laugh like a maniac and jump around out of glee, but instead remained completely stoic and calm on the outside, even after she had moved long out of the sight of the two guards. It still wasn't over yet. She still had to pass quite a few streets to get to the marketplace. Only now Morgana realized she didn't even have a plan. She had been so preoccupied with actually getting out of the castle, she completely forgot about how to get to the market place once she was outside. Morgana bit her lip, and tried to think of a plan, but her mind was completely empty. Maybe she should just turn back... just talking to someone, even a sorcerer, wasn't worth dying over, and there would have to be other chances!

'What is taking you so long?'

Morgana flinched when someone, or rather something landed right in front of her. A rather large black crow, the same one she had also seen that night after she defeated the golem. Once the dots connected in her head she glowered at it.

'You're that sorcerer! What is up with that meeting place? Couldn't you have picked a quieter place, or at least another time,' Morgana hissed at him, as she couldn't scream while hiding.

'That can be arranged.'

Before Morgana could even give a response the crow had already landed on her shoulder, and the world started spinning around her, faster and faster. Morgana's vision became blurred, and she couldn't even utter a single sound nor breathe because of the pressure on her lungs. Just when she thought she was going to suffocate, the spinning stopped, and she landed on the soft, damp ground ungracefully. Wait. Soft? _Streets aren't supposed to be soft_. As Morgana slowly opened her eyes, she saw she was surrounded by countless trees. Though it certainly wasn't the forest surrounding Camelot.

'The forests of Arcor. The least visited place in the entire kingdom. Quiet enough?' the crow, who had landed beside her asked dryly.

Morgana opened her mouth to give a snarky comeback, but wished she hadn't, because the moment she did, she felt the content of her stomach moving in the wrong direction. She quickly closed her mouth, gagged, but managed to keep it down. There was no way Morgana was going to throw up in front of this infuriating sorcerer!

'Are you quite alright, Lady Morgana?' he now asked, slightly concerned.

'No, and change back into your real shape, I feel ridiculous conversing with a crow,' Morgana snapped at him.

'Fine,' was the crow-man's curt response, and soon enough the crow started to take human form again. The wings became arms, the beak changed into a nose, and feathers came twirling down as the skin morphed into that of a human.

'Don't ever do things like that without a warning!' Morgana growled, referring to the transportation spell.

'What are you talking about? You should be used to things like this by now,' the sorcerer replied.

'What makes you think I am used to being spun around the world?' Morgana asked, still agitated.

'You're a sorceress,' he said with a shrug. 'One would think you at least know, if not use transportation spells.'

'I didn't even know I could do magic before yesterday night!' Morgana exclaimed, slightly offended for, in her eyes, being called incompetent as a sorceress.

'You...didn't know?' The man scratched himself behind his head as he considered her words. 'Well, that certainly is a surprise, though it explains a lot.'

There was a short silence between the two magic users. Morgana was thinking about what to say next, and the sorcerer was patiently waiting for her to sort out her thoughts.

'Who are you anyway?' Morgana then suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

'That would be difficult to explain, Lady Morgana,' was his vague answer.

'Alright, do you have a name then?' Morgana tried again, pretending to give up on the first question, though she made a mental note to find out later.

'You wouldn't be able to pronounce it.'

'I need to call you something, I'm tired of calling you "crow man" or just "sorcerer".'

'You can call me North, if you insist on having a name,' North finally gave in.

'North? That's a direction, not a name,' Morgana protested, though she almost immediately realized that it he wasn't going to change his mind anyway.

'Now that that is out of the way, I assume you have some questions to ask,' North changed the subject, ignoring her protests about his chosen name.

Morgana nodded slowly. 'I do. I need to know...do you know who is behind the attack on the castle?' Morgana asked, hoping to get a straight answer out of him for a change.

'I think there is only one person who would launch such an attack on Camelot,' North started. He hesitated a moment to finish the sentence, but eventually spoke up again.

'Her name is Nimueh.'

However, had North known that that certain sorceress had been observing them ever since they warped out of Camelot, he wouldn't have dared to utter her name.

-----------------

'King Uther's own little ward, who could have expected this?' a woman with blood red lips grinned gleefully. Her hand rested lightly on the edge of the conjured image in the water as she followed Morgana and North's conversation. She did not even turn around when quiet footsteps approached her, and stopped about two meters away.

'Lady Nimueh, the preparations are finished.'

Nimueh finally tore her eyes away from the water, and turned to face her servant.

'I've changed my mind, Nissa.'

'M-milady?' Nissa asked with big eyes. She did not like that look on her mistress's face: it always meant she was planning on doing something extreme. In the bad way. Nissa's back went rigid when Nimueh approached her, and stopped right in front of her, far closer than was comfortable.

'It was the king's ward, who stopped that golem,' Nimueh told her redheaded servant.

'M-morgana?' Nissa brought out, completely baffled, picturing Morgana's fair and kind face in her head.

Nimueh smirked at this response. 'You know what this means, don't you?'

Nissa swallowed very audibly and nodded. 'But that servant girl, Gwen, she knows, she's on to me, I can feel it. Please, just let me-'

'Get rid of her then,' Nimueh said, a malicious glint in her eyes. 'Better yet, take her place as Morgana's servant, and even take her place as Morgana's best friend. You should have no trouble with that, with that gift I bestowed upon you.'

Nissa averted her gaze to the ground and bit her tongue. Gift? More like curse. If she had known this before, she would have rather died than to receive it.

'You seem hesitant, Nissa,' Nimueh observed out loud. 'Do I need to give you some... encouragement again?'

Said servant flinched at these words. 'It's not about them, it's Uther, why hurt them?' she protested with a small voice.

'Spare me these words of pity,' Nimueh spat. 'To them you are just an abomination, they are no better than Uther himself. They don't care for you, why care for them? Now go!'

'Yes milady,' Nissa answered, as she bowed her head and turned to leave.

'One more thing, Nissa,'

Nissa stopped in her tracks, indicating that she was listening.

'Be careful about this North guy, do not allow him to interfere as you did with Gwen, I do not care how, just make sure of it,' Nimueh spoke, as she watched the moving images in the water again.

'Of course, milady.'

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**Liked it? Hated it? Let me know! Also for the people who alerted this story, but have never reviewed. I really like to hear your opinion too!**

**I hope you don't mind me making a 180 degrees turn to the plot. Well, not that I told the plot before, but still XD**

**Next chapter Gwen's gonna be in big trouble! D=****But keep your hope up! Our favorite servant girl has some tricks up her sleeves as well!**

**Lady Midday**


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